Braking engine



Patented Oct. 29, 1929 UNIT E STATES noscon MOORE, or wI'LKEs-BABBE,PENNSYLVANIA, AssIeNoaTo. V'U'I CA IRON WORKS, or WILKES-BARBIE,PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA BRAKING ENGINE Applicationfiled September 10, 1927. Serial No. 218,703.

This invention relates to improvements in brak ng engines of the typeemploying a non elastic power source 1n the form, foreXample, of weightsapplied directly to the brakes and acting by gravity to force the brakeshoes against the brake drum or other moving part. In this type ofbraking system, it is extremely difiicult to so graduate the loadapplied to the brakes that the braking force between the shoes and thedrum is other than the maximum or minimum, any intermediate brakingforce being very diflicult toobt-ain.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a noveldevice whereby in braking systems of the aforesaid type the brakingforce may be graduated between the maximum and minimum. To this end, theinvention consists of a novel device Y whereby a given load in the formof'weights may be applied to force the brake shoe against the drum inpredetermined lncrements, whereby the braking force may be regulated inaccordance with the requirements of the moment.

In the attached drawings, I have illustrated a device made in accordancewith my invention:

Figure 1 being a diagrammatic side elevation of a brake drum and brakeshoe system to which the device is applicable;

Figure 2 being an enlarged fragmentary elevation partly in section ofthe device as applied to the brake shown in Fig 1, and

Fig. 3 being a fragmentary sectional view of the weight mechanismillustrating the operation of the device lVith reference to the drawmgs,1 1s a brake drum and 2 and 3 brake shoes which cooperate with the drumin well knownmanner. These brake shoes are supported in the presentinstance upon anchorages 4 through the medium of upright links 5 with whch the shoes are pivotally connected andwhich are themselves pivotallyconnected wlth the anchorages 4.

The shoes are operatively connected by means of a system of connectingrods and bell crank levers with a power source, hereinafter described,whereby the shoes may either be drawn together against the oppo- 10pivotally connected at the top of the shoe 2, the other arm of the lever10 being connected with the source of power referred to above.

The power source consists in the present instance of a series of weights11, 12 and '13, which are normally supported, as shown in Fig. 2, in ayoke 14 consisting of a member 15 from which depend two or more rods 16,

16, which carry the said weights. The lower .ends of the rods 16 havesections 17, 18 and 19 of increasing diameters, the section of greatestdiameterbeing at the bottom and the section of least diameter at thetop. The weights 11,12 and 13 have openings therein to accommodaterespectively thesections 19, 18 and 17 of the rods, and these openingscorrespond closely in diameter to the diameters of the sections of therods which pass therethrough.v Also the sections 17, 18 and '1 19 of therods are of greater length than the thlckness of the weights 11, 12 and13, as

clearly shown. Under normal circumstances and as shown in Fig. 2,theweight 11 will rest upon shoulders 20. at the lower ends of thesection 19 of the rods, the weight 12 will rest upon the shoulder at thetop of the section 19, while the weight 13 rests upon the shoulder atthe top of the section 18.

Associated with the yoke 14 is a relatively fixed power cylinder 21, inwhich operates a piston 22. This piston is connected through a hollowpiston rod 23 with the member 15 of the yoke 14. Extending in thepresent instance through the member 15, through the hollow connectingrod 23, and the piston 22, and through suitable apertures in the weights11,12 and 13, is a rod 24 which at the top connects with the bell cranklever 10 and which carries at the bottom a washer 25 which pre-Ziapplied asdescribed. I

vents the rod 24: from being withdrawn from the apertures in the weight11.

With the foregoing arrangement of parts, pressure applied in theinterior of the cylinder 5 21 Will elevate the piston 22 and with it theyoke 1,4 ,and ,the weights l1, l2 and ,the p t rassiuni gre v positio shqv nz ig. 2. As the fluid is exhausted from the cylinder 21, the piston22 with the -and the1weights carried thereby are permit- 7 ted --to movedownwardly until the weight 11 meets the washer 25. Immediately ,theload due to this weight 11 is transferred fromthe yoke 14 to the rod 24,and the brake meqha- 15 nism is actuated to bring the brake shoes 2 and'3 into oontactwith the brake 1. The-,br'aking force under thesecircumstances is due entirelyto gravityacting through the weight 11. Gont inued downward movement of the Y piston{22 of the yoke 14transfers-the load of V the weights12 and 13, and finally of the yokeitself successivel onto the rod 24;, the force 1 with which the s ioesare applied-to the drum being proportionate to the loads successively{In F ig.13, :I have illustrated applicationof V the entireloadioonsisting of the weights 11, J12. and 13 and-the yokeldncludingthepiston 22 applied to the brake.

. 3, With itheforegoing device, it will :be ap-V parent that the iforcewith which the brakes l are applied may be varied in predeterminedstepsorincrements fromzeroto a maximum.

I jclaimvz I a e .In a brake system,the combination ,witha drum, of ashoe cooperative with the drum, V-means for applying theshoe to :the:drum in- 'cludinga plurality of adjustable .weights, ;a movable yokeineluding Weight-supporting 4 arms having longitudinallyadjoininglp'arts 0t difiering cross, sectional areaarranged in r'denofsize withithelarger sizes underneath, and said weightsabeing aperturedrespectively to fit the-saidrparts of differing. cross sectional areawhereby each o'flthe weightstmay-be individually supported on the topofthe adj acent largerpartofLthe said rodsand Whereby said weights may besuccessively .trans- ;ferred to oriremoved from the shoe-applying imeanswhenthe yoke .is moved lvertica'lly in oppositedirectiOns.

